Wind slabs may be reactive at upper elevations. Steep, unsupported rolls and immediate lee terrain are the most suspect.
Confidence
Moderate - Wind speed and direction is uncertain
Weather Forecast
FRIDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with isolated flurries, light southwest wind, alpine temperatures drop to -10 C.SATURDAY: Cloudy with sunny periods, light wind, alpine high temperatures around -8 C.SUNDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light wind, alpine high temperatures around -8 C.MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, moderate northwest wind, alpine high temperatures around -8 C.
Avalanche Summary
On Friday, several small (size 1) soft slabs were triggered by skiers on upper treeline and alpine features (up to 30 cm thick). On Thursday, skier traffic produced small (size 1) wind slabs near ridges and some minor sluffing in steep terrain.
Snowpack Summary
10-40 cm of recent snow remains low density in many areas, but has settled into thin soft slabs on some higher elevation features. Harder wind slabs can be found in exposed terrain near ridges. You may find a crust beneath this snow below 2000 m and on steep south-facing slopes. In exposed areas, the new soft snow sits above hard wind affected snow. The remainder of the snowpack is generally well-settled.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.